


My Little Star Prince

by xkoy



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Age 16 is the legal age lol, Dimension §973, M/M, Modern Royalty, Multi, Prince Morty, Royalty AU, Smith family is the rulers of the galaxy, the old switcharoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2018-11-22 15:33:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11383086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xkoy/pseuds/xkoy
Summary: "I'll do anything to find you out there..."





	1. Chapter 1

The serene sound of a music box played in the background, keeping a comforting atmosphere in the room. The room was a bit messy with clothes and magazines lying here and there, the king sized bed unmade, and heaps of letters ripped up being ignored by the distressed walking figure. The body paced around feverishly, walking in front of a mirror before sighing in defeat and turning away.

"Knock knock." A young lady dressed in an elegant velvet ball gown opened the door. She peeked in, her orange hair swishing from her ponytail in curiosity. Her crown glittered, diamonds sparkling as she entered the room. "Morty, the ball is about to start and you're still not dressed?"

"Summer!" Morty jumped in surprise, turning around to see his sister staring smugly at him. He pouted slightly, looking back at the mirror. "I just don't know what to wear..."

"It's your pre birthday party Morty, I'm sure whatever you wear will be fine. We are surrounded by family friends and neighboring kingdoms."

"You also left out the coronation part." Morty grumbled. He sighed inwardly as he took a long look at himself. He were to turn 16 tomorrow, and whenever a male in the Smith family becomes the certain age, they are to be next in line for the throne until they can find a proper significant other to rule with them. Thankfully, Morty never received news of an arrange marriage yet so he wouldn't have to take that stressful position.

"Hmm." Summer hummed as she walked over to her younger brother. Morty couldn't help but glance suspiciously in the reflection. Was she planning something? With the constant pranks and violence he went through with her, there was always a reason to keep his guard up.

"Are you taking long to get ready for a certain someone?" She finally said with a sly tone in her voice. Morty tensed visibly and held his breath. Summer laughed, an ever so heartwarming laugh, and put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't worry little bro, I can help you get ready. He'll be here tonight and he'll be so shocked once he sees you. Hundred percent Summer guaranteed."

Morty felt himself relax and a small smile started to form on his face. The same warm feeling spread through him. He knew he could always trust his sister with most things. Not all, but most is enough.

Over the years, he grew taller and sturdy. No longer short and lanky. His hair tamed from his short wavy curls to a more defined wavy hairstyle. He even had a slight fringe that he combs back to look neat. His stuttering speech wasn't exactly a problem anymore, even though sometimes it can pop up out of habit or nervousness.

All in all, his looks have changed but on the inside he felt the same. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Morty sighed and picked up the last outfit lying on the ground. It was a fancy suit: the dress shirt was plain white while the vest was a dark blue velvet. The sweater was all black but it was fixed with his past medals he earned. The pants were plain black too, but it fit his shape perfectly when he put it on. White space boots and white gloves and to finish it off, his signature cape. It looked plain red but people always said to never judge a book by its cover. The cape was a sort of magical entity: it could transform into the galaxy and become so long that people would believe he was creating the stars himself. It was a gift from the certain someone that he was hoping to see tonight.

"That outfit is perfect. You get dressed and I'll fix your hair." Summer said before retreating out of the room. Morty smiled at his sister and proceeded to change.

\------

"Beth, where is Morty?" Jerry asked worryingly as he walked up to his wife. She wore a graceful ball gown shaded in a beautiful sky blue. Her crown shined from the gold and red jewels that danced among the light.

Beth stared nonchalantly, swirling the wine in her crystal glass. "I don't know Jerry. He could still be getting ready." Her eyes looked over to her husband. She scoffed and put her glass down, grabbing him by the neck collar. Jerry squeaked, startled as Beth began fixing his red sash.

"You don't even know how to fix your sash correctly. Don't look like an idiot." Beth said and then stood back. Jerry was dressed in a naval blue uniform with medals hanging from his pockets. He stood awkwardly in the matching pants and seemingly heavy sovereign shoulder plates. His crown stood proudly on his head though, matching Beth's.

"Argh, it's just...the ball has already started and he hasn't shown his face for five minutes! The guests will wonder where the hell is the main man!"

"You know how Morty is about these things. He gets too nervous." She took a sip from the glass and muttered under her breath, "like a certain someone I know."

"Excuse me?" Jerry started before he felt someone shove him from behind. He turned angrily to confront the person before dropping his hand in surprise.

"Dad! You finally came!" Beth exclaimed happily, quickly walking behind her fuming husband.

Rick had an unreadable, bored expression on before a small smile appeared on his face as Beth walked up to him. He was dressed fancy for once according to others: his typical white dress sweater and white pants with black boots but he wore a dress top with a black bow tie. His signature blue velvet cape flowed with every movement and his mini crown hung on the side of his belt. "Of course I came, this is a big day and a big party about to happen! I hope you don't mind that I invited a few alliances here. Morty should know them as well."

"Rick, this isn't your party- Wait, you invited people we don't know to Morty's celebration? What the hell Rick?!" Jerry said angrily, glaring at the older man.

"Relax Jerry, they're harmless and besides, like I said, Morty knows them. Even Summer knows them so don't get your panties in a knot." Rick looked around before taking a glass of champagne from a walking servant. "C-come on now, you really think that iIiiGh'd be that stupid to bring some strangers to a personal family ball?"

"I just don't want your alien friends affecting tonight. This is an important day."

"Jerry, the aAAGHCtual important day is tomorrow."

"He's right Jerry. Tonight is just a pre celebration for Morty's coronation. Also a birthday party if you put it I guess." Beth cut in, taking another sip of her wine. "If my dad says they're harmless, then they're harmless."

"Beth-" Jerry began to whine but a hush fell over the crowd, stopping the conversation. Everyone turned their heads over the the main stairway. A silhouetted figure stood nervously and seemed to debate whether to go back upstairs. After a long second, the figure took a deep breath before walking down the steps, ever so slowly.

While descending down, the flowing cape slowly grew longer and brighter. The color red changed to a variety of soft supernovas, the color black filling the backgrounds. White specks appeared the more he walked, representing the stars in the sky. It was clear to everyone: the cape represented the galaxy.

Everyone stared in awe, the orchestra playing a matching song to fit the mood. Nobody could take their eyes off the Prince.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your Royal Highness, Prince Morty!" A voice beckoned and everyone applauded happily.

As he reached the final step, he looked around and smiled at the guests before parting to where Beth, Jerry, and Rick were.

"Well I'll be damned." Jerry smiled at his son, patting him on the back. "You look great tonight, son."

"Thanks dad. Summer helped me get ready for the most part." Morty flushed, scratching the back of his head. He looked at Rick and his smiled got even bigger. "You really came tonight.."

"Why does everyone keep saying that, it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon." Rick muttered, not noting the look on everyone's faces.

"Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith you squanchy motherfuckers!" Everyone turned to see Squanchy and Birdperson walk up to the group. Squanchy held an unknown beer bottle in his hand, dressed in a bow tie as well while Birdperson looked the same.

"Squanchy! BP!" Rick exclaimed and exchanged high fives with them.

"You guys came here too?" Morty asked excitingly.

"We could not miss your important night. It was Rick who invited us to your ceremony." Birdperson explained in a monotone voice before looking at Jerry and Beth. "You must be King Jerry and Queen Beth. I am pleased to be here tonight."

"I'm Squanchy." The cat chimed in, kneeling before the two and kissing Beth's hand in appreciation. "Yeah, this is gonna be a squanchy party!"

"Oh, it's our pleasure." Beth said, giggling at the gesture. "Please enjoy yourselves."

"Yeeeaah! Let's go squanch on the dance floor!" Squanchy exclaimed and ran off as Birdperson followed.

"What do you say Morty. Wanna dance?" Rick asked, holding out his hand expectingly. Morty blushed and accepted as the two walked away together.

"Something tells me there's something going on between them." Jerry said, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh please Jerry, don't even think that. Rick is his grandfather. There is nothing going on between them." Beth rolled her eyes and took one last sip of her wine.

The music played from orchestral to a mix of slow rnb. Everyone was doing their own little moves from waltzing to solo dancing on the floor. Rick took Morty to the middle of the room and the two began to dance together.

"That entrance you made really got everyone to shut up. I taught you well Morty." Rick said as he danced to the beat.

"I can only learn from the best." Morty winked back and he did a turn.

"Compliment taken." Rick smirked. "How do you feel becoming next in line for the throne? Pretty excited I bet."

"Meh, I guess." Morty looked downwards, this action not going past Rick. A group of girls suddenly walked up to the two and said hi to Morty, causing the dance to stop and for  
Morty to say hi back. They all giggled as he continued to talk. Soon they were off and the dancing resumed.

"You're beginning to become popular with the girls around here eh?" Rick said sarcastically.

"They're my guests, I have to be nice." Morty muttered, waving hello to another alliance. Another king and queen walked up to him and he introduced himself. Rick was beginning to get annoyed from all the interruptions.

"Please enjoy yourselves." Morty finished and waved them off. Once they left, Morty was surprised to be grabbed from behind and held into place. He looked behind him to see it was Rick.

"R-R-Rick?! What the hell-?" Morty began before Rick shushed him. "N-not here!-"

"What are you excited about then?" Rick said and Morty stopped to struggle free. The two remained silent for a while.

"I'm going to be 16 tomorrow. The legal age. The time I can finally be with you and it wouldn't be a problem." Morty whispered.

Rick held him tightly, the two swaying now to a slow song. He turned him around and they began to waltz. Rick looked at Morty, they're eyes meeting each other. In only two years, they had the most amazing adventures together and Rick watched as he turned from a stuttering adorable piece of shit to a now handsome almost adult man.

They both knew their relationship was problematic. But it didn't matter at the same time.

"R-Rick.." Morty said quietly. Rick didnt speak and kept them at the slow tempo. They waltzed together, their hearts beating as one.

"Me too." Rick finally said and Morty looked up surprised and confused. Rick only smiled. "I'm excited too."

Morty's face brightened like the stars in the cosmos and his smile grew big. It lightened Rick's heart in a way and he smiled back as they danced through the night.

\---

Rick should had expected the night wasn't going to go smoothly as planned. In fact, this was one of the last things he expected.

"Grandpa Rick." They were all perched at a nearby bar, Rick and Squanchy having a drinking contest while Morty, Summer, and Bird Person talked together. Summer noticed a cloaked figure out of the corner of her eye, getting a bad feeling. "Do you know that man over there?"

Rick looked to where she was pointing, his face turning from sour to alarmed in a second. "Shit." he whispered and stood up quickly, making everyone around look at him.

"Rick, what's wrong?" Morty asked confused.

"Did you invite that person Grandpa?" Summer asked, her eyes trailing the figure who was walking straight across the dance floor.

"Hell no. He shouldn't eeGHVven be here in the first place." Rick growled, pulling out his laser gun. "Squanchy, BP, he's here."

The two instantly got up and joined Rick with serious composure. "What the squanch is that asshole doing here?" Squanchy asked, glaring viciously.

"I swear to GoOAGHd, if the Galatic Federation is with him" Rick didn't bother to finish the sentence and began walking towards the figure.

"W-wait!" Morty jumped up and grabbed Birdperson. "What's going on?! W-wh-who is that man and why are you guys-"

"Morty. Summer. It's best if you and your family out of here now. Evacuate all the guests as well. This room will soon turn into a battle zone." Bird person warned, looking at the two with an even serious expression.

"What do you mean?" Morty asked, trying to look at least calm.

"I'll go tell Mom and Dad." Summer said before running off to their parents.

"...Is there any way I can help?" Morty said as Birdperson began walking away. "I've been through enough to know how to defend myself and everyone!"

"I'm sorry Morty, but within me, I know Rick is telling me to tell you to leave-"

"SILENCE." The figures voiced boomed and the room quieted down confused. Everyone turned to the cloaked person who stood out oddly from everyone else.

"Excuse me, who are you? I don't believe you were invited here." Jerry asked angrily as he stood up from his throne, glaring down at the unknown guest.

"Forgive me for crashing your ball, your Majesty, but I have business here I intend to finish." The figure said, a smirk appearing on its face.

"Leave now Daemon." Rick walked up behind the figure, appearing unenthusiastic. "If you brought the GF with you, your body will be danced all over right now."

"Please, I don't work for them anymore. I have bigger plans than working for some lousy government." Daemon cooed, facing Rick. "One of them is to overthrow you and this kingdom."

"Dumbass." In the blink of an eye, Rick pointed his gun and a single blast left everyone screaming. Daemon was no where to be seen through the thick clouds of dust. "This is why you don't announce your plans out loud."

"Don't worry everyone, let the party resume. This was just a shitty interruption." Rick announced to the shocked crowd. A sudden chuckle stopped the older man from continuing as he looked back and saw Daemon standing firmly, unhurt and crazy.

"Oh Rick...getting rid of me isn't that easy." He said and snapped his fingers.

Then all hell broke loose.

Daemon whipped off his cloak to reveal an arsenal of weaponry which immediately started firing throughout the building. The crowd panicked as everyone rushed towards the exit doors. The guards and a few other kingdoms who brought their weapons fought back at the single man.

Rick and Squanchy ran to opposite sides of the building for cover. Bird person immediately swept over Morty, covering the prince before running him to his family.

"Daemon, you piece of shit!" Rick yelled, shooting and disarming a few bullets that headed his way.

"Woohoo! Galactic Federation weapons are top charted!" Daemon cheered, standing smugly in his place. "Try and touch me! I fucking dare you all!"

Rick ran from his cover and jumped onto the human cyborg, putting him a chokehold and stopping the attack. Daemon threw him off and drew out a sword.

Rick growled and did the same, sheathing out a large majestic sword that shined bright with pride. It was gold with detailed carvings that could only be noticed by up close. The end of the hilt had a glowing green gem that seemed to charge whenever he gripped the handle a certain way. The two opponents looked each other in the eye before running towards one another and clashing weapons, the room echoing sounds of dancing metal.

"Mom, Dad!" Summer and Morty yelled at their parents who were hiding together behind their thrones. "We need to go now!" Summer ushered them to Bird Person and they all began to run.

"W-wait but Rick!" Morty exclaimed, desperately looking back and tugging away from the others.

"Morty, there's no time, we have to evacuate from here!" Summer yelled at her younger brother, who was busy watching the fight. Just as Bird person turned around, he got shot in the shoulder, cawing in pain. Everyone gasped and helped the man get back on his feet.

"You guys go! Rick and I will meet you at the evacuation ship! Take care of Bird Person!" Morty said.

The family stood there in shock. "Morty Smith, you are coming with us now-" Jerry angrily began but Bird Person hauled them away from the boy.

"Morty!" Beth and Summer screamed and their yells disappeared down the hall.

Morty ran down to the scene, noting how it was basically over. Rick smashed the living daylight out of Daemon, who was now bits and pieces everywhere.

"Take that! And this! And this!" He angrily rutted and finished with one final smash. He laughed with delight and turned around to high five his companions along with a few other guards. "Hell yeah! Fucking feels good!"

"Rick!" Morty yelled and began to run towards the older man happily. Until a loud voice boomed over them.

"This is the Galactic Federation. We know you're there Rick Sanchez. Surrender now and step away from Daemon #WMZ-147."

"Fuck!" Rick snarled, clutching his weapon angrily. He kept a bored but pissed off expression on his face as ran and took Morty's hand. "Everyone run!"

Soon enough, Galactic Soldiers ushered in and broke through, fighting against the many guards who were shot back. Squanchy quickly slid out the windows, escaping safely to where Bird Person and the Smith family was.

Rick and Morty ran down the burning halls that were invaded. The soldiers chased them down, shooting at them at random angles.

"Oh man oh god!" Morty screamed, trying to run as fast as he could. He took Rick's gun and shot it at one of soldiers, successfully hitting them.

"Nice one Morty!" Rick exclaimed and he took his sword, pressing a button at the handle and pointing it at all the soldiers. A laser instantly shot out, burning them all to the ground. "Let's go!" He said and sheathed the sword back.

They turned to run but soon stopped short as Morty was flung back. Rick turned around to see a gromflamite grabbing Morty's cape, pulling the boy towards him. Before anyone could react, Morty kicked the gromflamite in the face, who eventually let go in pain. His cape ripped off his shoulders as the gromflamite went flying back.

"No!" Morty exclaimed. He shot up and began to run towards the injured soldier but Rick caught hold of him and led him in the other direction.

"Not now Morty! I can get you another one later! We gotta move!"

They soon made it to the evacuation ship, which was slowly taking off. The door was closing slowly as well, the figures of the Smith family, Bird Person, and Squanchy standing there waiting for the two.

"Dad! Morty! Quick, someone help them!" Beth shouted desperately. She reached her hand out to the two of them.

Rick jumped onto the ship which was slowly going higher in the air. He grabbed to the edge and climbed up with ease, using Beth's hand as support. He turned around and saw Morty still running for his life.

"C, come ooOHNn Morty! You can make it!" Rick exclaimed. The older man held out his hand, now reaching for the younger boy. Morty panted and reached out desperately, their hands almost touching each other.

Suddenly, he was pulled back and put in a chokehold.

"Sorry Rick! You won't be getting your Prince today!" A half destroyed Daemon said with glee and he laughed like a maniac. He tightly held Morty in his right arm, resisting him from getting free.

"Daemon, yOU BASTARD!" Rick screamed, his eyes full of fury. He felt himself being restrained from jumping off and saving Morty.

"Goodbye Rick Sanchez! He's mine now!" Daemon shouted at the ship. As the ship door closed, they could all see Morty struggle with fear and desperation before Daemon punched the back of his head, his body going limp.

"MORTY!" Rick screamed and the ship doors finally shut, taking off into the galaxy.

\---

The sun rays peaked through the curtains, filling the room with light.

Morty opened his eyes, the feeling of drowsiness leaving his body. He lied there with the sun beams waking him up.

"What kind of dream was that?" He thought. What an strange dream. It was almost too real. He'd never seen Rick so...broken. Along with that maniac looking cyborg. It was like he was in a fairytale, looking at himself from another life. It had a sad ending at that. Maybe he should ask Rick about it-

"Wake up, Morty!" The bedroom door suddenly busted open, making the boy jump up in fright. In walked a slightly energetic Rick who held a portal gun in one hand and a flask in the other. His face read pure glee for once as he shot the gun at the wall. "We, we, we gotta go right now!"

"Rick, what the heck? It's-" Morty looked at his alarm clock. "8 AM on a Monday! Today is my only day off from school!"

"I know Morty but I need you to help me get these crystals." Rick began, watching the boy get up unenthusiastically. "They're, they're extremely rare Morty and with it, I can finally finish a bunch of inventions that I've put off for months!"

"Rick, I'm not really interested in, you know, crystal searching right now." Morty yawned, looking for a pair of pants. "It's too early for this."

"Morty, this is important! The crystals can benefit so many things and help us out! I just need to hurry before anyone takes them! Will you help me o-urrp-r not?"

"Alright, alright just let me get dressed.." the boy grumbled. He quickly put on his pants and white shoes, freshened up in the bathroom, and was back in five minutes. Rick stood there impatiently, tapping his foot.

"Finally, let's go." Rick said and stepped into the portal. Morty sighed and followed through.

\---

The other side of the portal wasn't pretty. The building looked wrecked, as if it was ambushed and burned down. The hallways held a cold emptiness filled with dust and shattered glass from the tall, broken windows. Sunlight streamed through it, revealing the scorched marble floors and tattered Victorian wallpaper. The hall had several doors that were open but had no light.

"W, whoa...where are we?" Morty stuttered, looking around nervously. "It seemed like something awful happened here."

"Huh..last time I checked, this place was suppose to be fine. Maybe in some other dimension it got torn up." Rick muttered as he walked ahead down the corridor. "But whatever, that means that we can find those crystals with ease."

"This place is giving me the creeps." Morty shuddered. It was almost like he's seen this place before. Suddenly, he remembered his weird dream that he had this morning.

"H, hey Rick? I, uh, had a weird dream last night."

"Hm?"

"I, I mean..well..I had dream with you, me, mom, dad, and Summer in it. It was a pre birthday party for me, and everyone was invited. Even Birdperson and Squanchy were there." Morty scratched the back of his head and began to wonder if he should be embarrased. "We were all dressed like royalty and I was apparently a prince while mom and dad were the King and Queen. Anyway, in the middle of the party, a cyborg from the government crashed the whole thing and attacked everyone and you beat it up but then it was still alive and..." Morty trailed off, looking down. He didn't know how to say the last part to the older man.

"Huh." Rick said as if bored, not bothering to look back at the boy. Morty could feel the heat rush up to his cheeks.

"D, d, do you know what that dream means?"

"Well Morty, it doesn't sound like that had any meaning, except for me being badass for beating up a cyborg." Rick grinned and Morty rolled his eyes.

"Dreams technically aren't suppose to mean anything. It's when your brain activity is high while you sleep, causing you to forge memories or events that you've seen when awake. All that shit about anxiety and whatnot can factor it, but you want to know something M, Morty? Dreaming and sleeping is a waste of time. It takes up half of your life and half of what you dream about doesn't make sense. IIIIts It's complete bullshit."

Morty only downcasted his eyes in thought. "W, w, well it had to mean something Rick, I mean. It was way to detailed and vivid to not mean anything. I could remember everything from beginning to end."

"Well, It coUUUGHould also just possibly be a vision from another dimension. Cause your sixteenth birthday was a month ago and we're not princes or whatever the hell."

"True.." Morty said. He shrugged the weird feeling off his back. So the dream could be a vision or story from another dimension. But why would he get it? Is it a sign?

"M, maybe you should stop jerking off every night and actually rest." Rick said, making the younger boy sputter. "W, what?-"

"Besides, royalty? Your parents rulers? Of what? Dog World? This dream you had sounds pretty lame."

"H, hey!" Morty growled, stomping up to Rick. "It was weird but not lame! You were royalty too! Apparently in the dream, the Galatic Government was looking for you a, and you couldn't even save me from a freaking robot!" Talk about lame on your part!"

"Wow, very mature Morty. Very mature to just try and insult me. Let me guess, in the dream, the legal age for being an adult was 16 right?"

"Yeah actually-"

"Yeesh, talk about rushing shit. You sound desperate so you can marry and pork Jessica. This just sounds like a weird wet dream you made up."

"Hey!-"

"Oh shit! Here we go!" Rick exclaimed as they exited the long hallway and went into a big room. It looked like a ballroom, no light entering the place except for all the glowing pink crystals everywhere.

"Whoa..." Morty gasped and slowly walked into the room, staring in awe all around.

"Come on Mo-urrrp-rty, we got crystals to pick up." Rick yelled, his arms already filled with the glowing objects.

"Alright!" Morty said back and reached for the nearest crystal near him. When he touched it, however, it pulsated and began to transform the room.

"What the hell?!" Rick screamed, dropping the crystals instantly. The objects flew to the middle of the room, collecting together and growing bigger. Once all of them were together, it instantly exploded, blinding the two and blowing them back.

When they opened their eyes, a portal was swirling in front of them, sucking in everything around them. Morty began to lose his grip and tried to hold onto the wall. The wall piece broke and he was sent flying into the vortex.

"RICK!" Morty screamed, reaching out to the man but was sucked into the portal.

"MORTY!" Rick screamed back. He held onto the pipe for dear life before the suction stopped and the light began to fade. The portal closed slowly, leaving behind darkness and guilt hanging in the air.

Rick slowly stood up, eyes wide as he looked around the room. He stared at where the portal was with disbelief, the darkness overtaking him.

"Shit."

"Morty..."


	2. Chapter 2

Morty didn't really know what to expect when he woke up. He was still in the same room he was forcefully transported from, except all the pink crystals were gone and Rick was no where to be seen.

He slowly rose to his feet in a cautious manner. He could feel fear beginning to swallow him whole, his mind in a panic. The boy looked around the uncomfortably empty room. For some reason, the atmosphere here seemed a lot more....tense. More desolate and dark than before. He felt a depressing mood from standing there alone, like the entire building itself was saddened from the loss of residents.

It was too silent here.

He had to get out and find a way back home. Immediately.

"Rick?" Morty called out with hesitance. He moved forward from his spot and to the door hanging ajar. "I, is anyone there?"

Morty entered the hallway, the sunlight streaming through the windowed roof. He could definitely see more things than before. There were dried pools of blood, both alien and human, covering the marble and carpet. Weapons were randomly spotted from floor to wall, burnt furniture and photos decorating the tattered walls. There were also random piles of ashes, which Morty recognized as dead gromflamite corpses that have been zapped with a laser.

It was as if a battle happened here. The rest of the building must be as bad. Morty grimaced and bit the inside of his cheek to stop the overwhelming feelings of fear overtake his body. He took a deep breath and turned right, quickening his walk with each step he took.

"What happened here?" He thought to himself, taking in more bloodshed. "Am i on Galactic Federation property? It looks like everyone is dead though, so i guess I won't be interrogated anytime soon."

Morty found the hall exit and was greeted to one of the largest rooms he'd ever seen. The large crystal candle lit chandelier was dangerously hanging lopsided, the metal chain threatening to break any moment. The palace floor had cracks, along with the occasional holes from what seemed like a bomb. Each arched window was broken, the walls littered with bullet holes and burn marks. There were no dead bodies to be seen, but it didn't calm him down any less. Something about this room however was nagging at him. It was almost as if he's been here before. Or at least seen it.

Looking at his upper right, he could see a grandiose staircase that led to another upper level. In fact, there were many doors that probably led to more of the place. He looked forward and saw four high perched thrones, two huge and two a bit smaller. The thrones seemed to be made out of a stone design, red velvet material cushioning the seats and diamond buttons to add a chiffon effect. Morty walked over to the chairs, admiring the look and feeling drawn to something less gruesome he's seen so far.

On one of the thrones, he can see an engravement written on the arm rest. Morty walked up for a closer look, curiosity taking over. It was hard to make out at first but soon he was able to interpret the fancy lettering.

"J ..erry Smith."

Wait what, Morty thought as he shot up from the chair. Why did it say his dad's name? Morty quickly reread the letters again, making sure he didn't mistake it. The more he read the name, the more shocked he became. His dad's name was on a throne. Morty looked over at the next throne and quickly walked over to find a similar engravement on the arm rest.

"Labeth Smith - Sanchez.."

Morty looked over at the next throne and read the next words. "Summer Smith." He then turned over to the last throne near his dad's side. He hesitantly walked over, his heart pounding in nervousness. He looked and read the engravement.

"Morty...Smith..."

"What in the hell? What's going on?" He asked aloud, confusing clouding his mind. "Why are my families names on here? In fact, why is mine here?" He felt a stab of worry the more questions piled in his mind. "Was this this Morty's home? Why was it attacked? Is everyone ok? What happened here? What-"

Morty looked up from the thrones and forward to the opposite wall where a huge portrait hung in somewhat perfect condition. His mouth flung open and he remained speechless as he looked at the painting. It was portrait of his family, but they all looked like royalty. Everyone was dressed elegantly and a crown on each head. Except for Rick, who kept his hanging on the side of his belt. It looked like a regular family photo if it wasn't for everyone looking so serious and how the portrait literally fills the space between the two arched windows.

Morty looked in awe, walking towards the photo. He looked at himself and felt impressed. It was nice to see a different version of him and specifically, being a prince. It was pretty cool. Different universes were really fun to look at sometimes and the fact that his family along with him and Rick's relationship could span along so many universes really meant something.

Speaking of Rick, he needed to find his grandfather. He was reminded of how he was suppose to get out of here. But how-

"HEY! What are the hell are you doing here?!"

Morty jumped in shock and slowly turned around at the new intruder. He tensed up, preparing himself for whatever this person was going to do.

At the top of the grand staircase, a tall silhouetted figure loomed over, a blue velvet cape swaying with each step the person took. His mini crown hung on the side of his belt, dressed in all white with a coat that represented a lab coat. Morty recognized that blue hair and spot of drool instantly.

His eyes were filled with dark hatred, a tired and annoyed sting that showed a wall of emotionless being built by the second. That all washed away as soon as both their eyes met, all the contentment replaced with shock and a ray of hope that seemed to be gone for a while.

The figure stopped at the end of the stairs, staring at Morty while he stared back. The silence was thickening, making the boy nervous. This Rick looked like he just found his favorite lost toy but seemed to be conflicting whether it was his or not.

After a few minutes of nothing, Rick blinked and his look of annoyance was back on his face. "You. State your name and dimension." He said in a monotone voice.

"H, h, huh?" Morty stuttered, starting to shake from nervousness. "I, I, I'm, well, I'm Morty Smith from dimension C-131-"

"Where's your Rick?"

"I-" Morty trailed off, looking down at the floor. "Well...I don't know. I, I was transported here through some portal by some pink crystal a, and I don't know how but I was wondering if you can take-"

"W, wait." Rick perked up and began to walk towards Morty. "You said you were transported here by a pink crystal by a portal?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Holy crap." This Rick grinned, a glee filling his eyes now. "So it diiIIGHd work. Now everything can go according to plan." He began to mutter to himself and Morty stood awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"U, um...excuse me?" Morty called out and the Rick broke out of his trance, looking at the boy. "I, I was wondering if you can portal me back to my home dimension? I don't want to stay very long.."

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Rick said, fully turning to face him.

Morty felt a question mark pop in his head. "W, w, why?"

"BecAUUGHSE I need to keep you here for a certain purpose."

".....huh?"

"Those crystals, proper term Cxenarium, were sent by me in order to get another Morty transported to me and stay in my dimension until I find my Morty. Their Rick cannot get their Morty back until I send him back. Basically like a protective box where someone sends a box with a public key but I have the private key in order to open the actual box to get to the package. I must admit, I never thought it would work. It was a one way call on my side. But I guess I was wrong for once."

Morty let all this information process and realization hit him in the face. "Wait. Y, you're telling me that you basically kidnapped me and I can't go back home until I find your Morty?"

"Precisely, if you want to make it sound bad."

"What the hell?!" Morty walked over to the Rick furiously. "I, I don't want to be here! I want to go home! I have nothing to do with this and yo, yo, you're freaking dead or missing family!"

Rick perked at that sentence, staring straight ahead. "They're not dead. At least three out of four aren't. It's just my Morty who is missing."

Morty gulped, looking at Rick. Confusion and a small pinch of despair was stirring in his chest. "What...what happened here? What happened to your Morty? If I'm going to help you, I should at least know."

Rick remained silent and continued to look straight. Morty felt a bit guilty to pry but he deserved to know. A moment of silence passed and the older man finally spoke, "This used to be the Smith family royal palace. A month ago on Prince Morty's 16th pre birthday party, the Galactic Federation invaded the castle and a humanoid bot named Daemon took and held Morty captive. We couldn't save him because our evacuation ship was taking off and Daemon already had hold of him.

Ever since then, the family has been torn up. Beth won't stop crying every night, Jerry is sending search parties everywhere, and Summer won't come back home because she's too busy looking for her younger brother. And so far, we haven't had any leads."

His breath was caught in his throat as the story came out. This story sounded too real to be true. It actually sounded extremely familiar. Too familiar.

"Daemon..." Morty muttered and pondered in thought. Why did that name sound so familiar? He's never met anyone like that. But he's heard it somewhere-

"Holy crap!" Morty exclaimed, surprising Rick right next to him. He looked at Morty in surprise.

"W, what's up?"

Everything was coming back to him. That dream he had this morning. Every vivid detail from beginning to last. He looked up and looked around the room, seeing visions of the dancing, the grand entrance, the battle, the wrenching goodbye. Everything.

It wasn't a dream. It was a flashback. A vision.

What his Rick said this morning also came back to him. "He was right..." he whispered. "It was a vision..."

Rick blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Hey kid, what are you going on about? I didn't get a psycho Morty now, did I?"

"What? N, no I...."

"Whatever, that's nOOGHT important right now. What's important is what you have to do." Rick faced Morty face to face and began to pull out something from his coat. "I need you to pretend to be the missing prince."

Morty only stared with a blank face. "What?"

"Come on, it's not that hard to be a prince! You can basically do whatever the hell you want, excluding prince duties which is basically lessons on ruling the galaxy when you get married. Also, side note, you're 16 so that means you're already an adult in this dimension so you might expect some arranged marriages happening soon."

"W, what?! What the hell?! Arranged marriage?! Wait, that's not the point, I can't be a prince! I know nothing about that stuff! Besides that's wrong! I'd be lying about who I am for what?"

"So that the family calms the fuck down and leaves the searching to me. We've been cold dead for a month and the only clue I've found is looking around this dead ass castle. I can find my Morty in probably two weeks tops."

"Oh really, even though it's been a month since you found anything?"

"H, hey smartass, don't fucking sass me."

"But I'm not prince material! I'd screw up on the first day a, and I'd probably destroy everything. And I can't lie to my family, no matter what they are!"

"Look, Morty. I understand but y, you gotta do this for me. I'm sick of the way things are at the new home. Everyone is arguing and unhappy and it's just depressing as shit. aAAGHNd besides, if you want to go home, I suggest you do what I say." Rick smirked and pulled out a plain red cape along with a crown that seemed to be what Prince Morty was wearing. "Here, I found the basic necessities for you to look like a prince now we gotta find an outfit."

"Hmmmng." Morty groaned and followed Rick out of the ballroom. He took one last look at the family portrait and walked away.

\----

"Not bad." Rick said, surprised with the outcome as soon as Morty stepped out of the dressing room. He was dressed in one of the Prince's casual outfits: a yellow dress shirt, black coat and fitting pants, and white boots. The cape was equipped on his back and the crown sat perfectly in his wavy hair.

"R, really?" Morty asked, turning to nearby mirror to check himself out. He felt so fancy and out of place. The gold crown reflected off the light, making him look more official. It felt a bit wrong but he wasn't afraid to admit he looked good.

He turned back to Rick, who was staring at him with a painful remembrance, as if he was lost in a memory. Rick immediately snapped out of it and smirked. "Heh, of course you do. You're a Morty, what do you think? A, anyway leeGHTS get going. I'll teach you what you need to know on the way to your new home."

Morty was taken aback by the compliment but tried not to think too much about it. He hesitantly followed Rick down the hall and outside to one of the many exits in the castle. They were greeted by Rick's spaceship, which wasn't made out of garbage and this time out of a more cleaner metal and design.

They got in and immediately took off. Morty felt anxiety pile in his chest and Rick talking about how to be a prince wasn't helping either.

"And Beth is the queen and Jerry is the sad king. They, along with me, rule the galaxy and we make sure our dimension is in tact. Summer is obviously a princess and she was suppose to be first in line but even i I don't have a clue as to what the rule is for whatever spawn needs to take over. Also, we're not some stupid medieval royalty dimension that focuses on the old ways and riddled with diseases so that everyone can die in a few days. No, we're actually a really modern society so you don't have expect the Black Plague to tooo break out anytime soon."

Morty stared out the window and looked at the passing by dark nothingness. He tried to listen but a sadness was growing on himself. He wanted to go back home and exclude himself from whatever the hell is going on. Go back to when things were normal such as sleeping in at 8am on a Monday and Rick dragging him off on another adventure.

"Hey. Kid." Morty looked over to see Rick staring at him with a hint of worry. "You alright?"

"I...I just miss my home..." Morty could only mutter. He downcasted his eyes to his legs and felt himself crawling inside.

"I'm sorry kid. But hey, for what it's worth, it's another grand adventure. And besides you'll get to know more about another dimension and what it's like to be royalty." Rick tried to convince but Morty still remained silent. Rick raised his brow before sighing. He held out his hand in front of Morty, who looked up in confusion.

"Here, let's start all over. I'm Prince Rick Sanchez, royal scientist and basically "king" of the galaxy. Dimension §937."

Morty stared at him in surprise and then at the open hand. He slowly took it and they shook hands, a feeling of comfort finally coming through. He smiled and looked at Rick.

"I'm Morty Smith, dimension C-131. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can become close and find your missing Morty."

"Oh, we'll do more than get close." Rick winked, taking Morty off guard for even the slightest second. "And not hope, we will find him. You're out there somewhere, and I'll do anything to find you out there."

Morty blinked before smiling. He felt a little better now. This Rick seemed to really care about his Morty. It was nice for a change.

And thus, they continued to talk as they traveled back to their new home.

\----

"We're here."

As soon as Rick announced this, a planet appeared that looked somewhat similar to Earth. They went back into the atmosphere and greeted to a endless sunset sky, traveling above a massive city made of silver. There was bustling of life below, busy creating new buildings for their new lives on this planet. And way ahead was the massive Victorian grey castle. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale book.

"This is... amazing." Morty breathed out as he looked with awe.

"Thanks Morty. I'm surprised how fast the city was built. Under a month remember?"

"Whoa.."

"We're basically here already." Rick said as he drove towards the castle. "So remember what I told you what to say. Don't be awkward about it cause then it'll be a dead giveaway."

"A, alright. I'll try." Morty said, sighing as the ship landed on one of the lookouts. He gathered up his courage and got out with Rick, straightening his posture.

"Sir Rick! You're back. Your Royal Highness was asking for your whereabouts." A guard said as he walked up to the two. He took one look at Morty and froze, shock filling his expression. "I, is this..."

"Tell Beth, Jerry, and Summer to round up in the lounge. I got Prince Morty back with me." Rick said, a serious expression now on his face.

"Y, yes sir of course! Prince Morty, I'm so glad to see you're unharmed! I'll tell everyone immediately!" The guard ran off, disappearing within seconds.

"Oh geez...."

"Calm down Morty, you're gonna do fine. Just follow me and we can get this over with." With that said, they entered the castle.

The castle's inside wasn't that different from the original. It could almost be identical. Same wallpaper and floor and carpet. It looked a little less...homely was a good way to put it. There no photos or plants. It was bare of any feeling.

They continued walking down the corridor, the sound of their boots making clacking sounds. Eventually they reached a closed double door. They both paused, neither moving for a while.

"You ready, kid?" Rick looked at Morty and smirked, something signature that Morty was going to take note of.

"Y, yeah. Anything to get me home I guess. Let's do this." Morty nodded and smiled back. They both nodded together and pushed the double doors open, a bright light enveloping the two.

The first thing Morty saw was white. White flowing curtains that flew in the wind, rippling over the fine dark wood that was so polished, he could see his reflection. Then he spotted in the middle of the room, an enormous couch with two figures sitting down while the third one was standing up. The sounds of yelling and an ongoing argument instantly killed the mood and Morty recognized these voices immediately.

"No Summer, you need to stay home! I'm sorry but you haven't been home in days!"

"Dad, this isn't our home! And I've been looking for Morty, who, may I point out, hasn't been found yet?!"

"The search teams are looking! And Rick is looking too!"

"It's been a month! He could be dead by now!"

"Summer, don't say that about Morty! You don't know that, none of us know."

"Mom, I'm sick of waiting for something to happen. What, is he just going to magically pop up unharmed and say "hey! I'm okay!""

"Ahem." The figures heads turned towards Rick, the curtains finally falling to the ground. Morty was hiding behind Rick and he peeked out to see his family. Well, not his family. They were all dressed elegantly as well: Jerry in a tasteful dark green suit, Beth in a silk looking red ball dress, and Summer in a white balloon ball dress. They all wore their crowns proudly and they looked...tired. As if they haven't gotten sleep in weeks.

"I know you're busy, but I got something for you guys." Rick began, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Grandpa! You're here!" Summer exclaimed happily. "Did you get any clues? Any leads?"

"Actually, Summer. I got the real thing."

Everyone perked their heads up at that. "Wait, what do you mean?" Jerry asked, his eyes getting wider by the second.

Morty took that as his queue to reveal himself so he stepped out from behind Rick. Everyone gasped and stood up, staring at Morty with the biggest relief they've had in days.

"H, hey you guys."

"MORTY!"

Summer ran over and tackle hugged Morty to the ground. Morty oofed and yelled out in surprise at the attack. Summer lifted him up and hugged him in a crush grip. "MORTY OH THANK GOD, YOURE ALIVE!" She cried. Morty snapped out of his dizziness, realizing she was actually crying.

Beth came over and hugged the two of them, the sound of sniffling coming about. Jerry walked over as well and shared a group hug with them all, relief and happiness filling his face and a few tears beginning to well up.

Morty was stuck in this position, feeling touched by the affection he was getting. But he also felt an extreme amount of guilt hit him like a truck. He hugged them all back to not mess up his act but the more he moved, the more guilty he felt. A few tears began to work in his eyes from the guilt and affection he got, and he looked at Rick for help.

But Rick was staring at this scene, that painful remembrance back on his face. He looked happy that this was happening, a bit of relief as well. In his eyes, it also read guilt but he looked happy that everyone was...happy.

Morty looked away, a look of wonder on his face. This Rick cared not only about his Morty but his family's happiness as well. His Rick, or most Rick's, rarely showed emotions even in the most strenuous situations. Sure, his Rick possessed the ability to care, he's see and witnessed it before. But for this Rick to do it so openly in front of a Morty says a lot.

Morty hugged the family back, burying his face in Summer's shoulder. It would be a long time until he would get home. But this moment is nice. He wondered, when he gets home, if his family would react the same way. If his Rick is going through all ends just to get him back.

This dimension seems nice. He didn't mind playing pretend.

But he still felt so, so guilty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morty experiences his first royal family dinner.

"Shit."

"Morty..."

Rick quickly got up and walked over to the scene. He felt dread fill his mind as he looked around in the middle of the room. All the pink crystal shards were still glowing dimmer than it was before. 

He picked up a crystal and took out a small magnification device. Pointing it at the shard and zooming closely, he could see the atoms and elements of what the shards were. It contained other scientific elements that Rick found all too familiar. A name popped up on the screen that read: Cxenarium. Rick felt his heart stop for one split second, and he froze completely as he realized what this meant.

"Shit. Godammit, SHIT." His face contorted into anger as he threw the shard in rage to the other side of the darkened room. He knew what this all meant now. These crystals were planted here as a trap to teleport someone to the receivers location, and it made sure to never bring the person transported back. Not until the receiver feels like it. That could only mean one thing...

Morty is being held against his will and won't come back for a long time.

Rick picked up as many crystal shards as he could, not caring if they cut him or even fit in his arms. He had to think- he could get his Morty back if he wanted to. It would just take a little investigation work. Go fucking Professor Layton on this case. It was also a fight against himself- he assumed it was a Rick who took his Morty. Who else would use these crystals in such a manner? Ricks fighting Ricks was like fire fighting fire. Both are just as strong and intellectual. It just depends on who has the upper hand.

The more Rick thought, the more Morty came into mind. Hopefully nothing bad was happening to him. Ricks were never ones to harm Morty's but anything is possible in the finite curve. If the kid was said harmed in anyway, it would give him a good excuse to kill the Rick bastard. Not like he needed an excuse, but it was good to be justified. 

"What the hell are you thinking about? There's no need for justification or anything. Why are you defending yourself?" Rick grimaced, asking aloud to no one in general. He knew why. He began to walk out of the room and into the hollow hallway, his pace quickening with denial in each step. He knew why. He's been doing it a lot recently. He's been distant from his Morty for a while now, feeling bad for not being as close to the kid as before. But it was for both of their own goods. After Morty turned 16, something changed within Rick. From the laughter to the little gestures and the late night conversations, he felt like he and Morty had something. It was something more than the typical affection he had for the kid, it was more romantic. More-

"Stop it. Not right now." Rick swore under his breath. This was disgusting and wrong. He would not fall for this trap. Not anytime soon. He had someone to save and he has no time to think about worthless things.

Maybe when he gets Morty back, they can go back to watching Interdimensional Television, and play Minecraft once more.

"Dammit, I'm not drunk enough for this shit."

\------

"I'm so glad you're here Morty, safe and sound!"

"We must celebrate immediately!"

"Where have you been all this time?"

Questions bombarded Morty like an avalanche rolling downhill. That's what he felt was happening to him at least. He swallowed nervously and gave his "family" a reassuring smiling, unsure of what to say. They kept asking with excitement, their voices blending together into some blob language he couldn't understand at this point. 

"I found him on a dwarf planet 5 billion light years from here." Rick intervened, stepping up to the shaking boy who mentally thanked him. Morty looked up at Rick, the look of gratitude washing over his features. "He, well, apparently escaped Daemon and was on the run. Thankfully, I found him before he urp died of starvation."

"My poor boy! Oh, you must be tired and hungry." Beth cooed, taking Morty's face and examining it for any injuries. In most dimensions, motherly affection from a Beth was rare. It was foreign to Morty, but it also felt so nice. Probably if her son was missing, any Beth would react the same way this one did. The boy couldn't help but think to his home dimension. Would his mom react this way? Does she even know he's gone?

"I'll call for servants to bring food right now." Jerry said, smiling as he bustled over to the small coffee table near the couches. He picked up a plain black box remote and pressed a button. Immediately, servants piled in with large silver trays, delicious aromas filling the air. They walked in a single filed line with grace and order, surrounding the family as if it were a show.

Morty flinched in surprise at the sudden commotion, watching the rest in awe as he was forced to sit on the plush couches. The slight rich satin material felt smooth to the touch, and he was given another reminder of where he was at the moment. The servants brought out long dark polished wood tables that Morty could guess was made from the finest trees and carpenters. He could hear the overplayed accent of the cliché conosiuerre in his head. Another set of servants laid out a silk dining sash in ordinance, everything they seemed to do now looked like magic floating in the air. Morty stared at them placing polished silverware down, then fine China plates, and tall glasses for wine. 

"This is ridiculous..." he whispered, unsure if anyone heard him. 

The silver platters were finally set down in the middle of the tables and once the lids were open, the smells of warm food embraced them all. The food, it looked absolutely delicious. Morty could feel his mouth beginning to drool just by looking at it.

"Today's main course, your Royal Highness, is a roasted chicken glazed in honey sauce, garnishes of lettuce, carrots, and red onions with Italian dressing, creamy soup salted-" as the servant droned on and on, Morty's smile grew wider and the drool beginning to form around his mouth. His stomach rumbled; he didn't realize how hungry he actually was. He didn't eat breakfast or anything at all today. Everything seemed to be shining and sparkling in front of him, which he would usually question the logic of why, but he was so hungry he didn't care.

"And for the desert, I've chosen the young Prince's favorites: a variety of patisserie cakes from the best patisserie's all over the galaxy with variety of ice cream for later on. Please," the servant stopped and everyone in the room took a bow in front of them. "Enjoy your meal, your Highness." With that, they all left the room the same way they came.

"....They really need to stop preparing like that." Summer grunted, her signature 'whatever' look on her face. 

"You know it's customary for them to be that way, Summer. Let's just eat." Beth said while her daughter shrugged in response. Everyone picked up their silverware, Morty snapping out of his trance and following in pursuit. 

He looked down at his plate, where all the fine food was just dancing in front of him. He hesitantly cut the chicken, noting how it was so glossy that the sauce reflected the light. Bringing the fork to his mouth, he took his first bite.

And it was as if an angel came and punched him in the face. It was magnificent. He began to chow down on the food, taking in bite after bite. He became so lost in eating that he didn't notice his family staring in shock.

"Jeez M, Morty, the meal isn't going anywhere." Rick stated, taking his glass that was filled with white wine and gulping it down. "You must be really hungry huh?"

"Mhmgh." 

Everyone only blinked before going back to their own foods and eating the same. They all ate in comfortable silence, well, as comfortable as it was going to get for Morty. He still felt a bit awkward and nervous for getting this far into the pretend act. He doesn't like acting like everything's okay when it's not. If anything, he's been known for just being honest about everything with everyone. 

C-131 is the dimension where Beth and Jerry divorced when Morty was 14, leaving everyone feeling astray. The only difference is that his parents never got back to together or tried to rekindle their relationship. In his Rick's eyes, this just meant he was the head of the family now and he had full control over everything. Summer was able to have more freedom and turned into a wild yet responsible party animal, and his mom was able to attend college and restart studying for an actual medical PhD. Both of the ladies never really home or around at all. His dad decided to travel the world in order to stay away from the family who shunned him, and it's been months since the boy last saw him. 

During that time, Morty grew a somewhat thick skin and stopped taking bullshit lies from his family and most people. It was still a work in progress. His confidence is rising however, and many at school no longer mess with him. He still has his habit of stuttering when nervous though, and that messes everything up. And he's also still shy around people. His Rick, however, has been slowly teaching him how to stop being in his shell.

Rick; he was like any other Rick honestly. Selfish, irresponsible, only cares for himself, all that jazz. But, he was also more kind in a sense. His Rick loves his family, despite all of them not being home at all. Morty is really the only one ever home, so the two are always together no matter what. His Rick was also more playful, more friendlier too. It was weird, but in their dimension, they hug and cuddle on the couch together, no relationship established. They walk around sometimes with an arm linked around the other, but even that was rare. They talk about their feelings more and know each other deeper than other Ricks and Mortys do. If one is sad, the other cheers them up. If one is sick, the other cares for them. Morty is proud of their relationship. They have one of the most rarest relationships in the galaxy. 

He won't deny, sometimes it felt like they were an actual couple. Cuddling and arm holding and all the other stuff sometimes felt more than platonic. Morty knows that he and Rick are family, and a romantic relationship would be the last thing to ever happen between them. He still can't help but feel something though. And he still hasn't touched the questions if he was disgusting or wrong to think about his own grandfather like that-

God, why was he thinking about this now?! Out of all times to think, why now-

"So, Morty..." the boy snapped his head up from his plate with a messy face and responding eyes. Summer smiled and carried on with her question. "Do you mind telling us what happened? How you escaped? What was it like facing Daemon-"

"Summer." Their parents scowled with a warning look. Morty gulped his food down and studied the scene in front of him. "It's a bit too early to ask."

"He'll teEEll you later." Rick said in response, not bothering to look up at the conversation. "It's not, not much to tell as far as I know."

"H, hey.." Morty muttered weakly; it didn't come out as strong as it should have.

"Well, I'd still love to hear it first hand from my now-found son. All the citizens will surely be thrilled with his return." Jerry stated matter-of-factly. 

It was as if his appetite vanished because now he couldn't eat another bite of the almost finished food. Morty stared at his plate with furrowed brows, becoming lost in his thoughts once more. The guilt was slowly coming back.

"It's good to have you back, Morty. You can tell us your story another time. It doesn't have to be now." Jerry smiled, looking at the young boy with an overwhelming look of proudness. It threw him off guard. Morty clenched his hands, his breath stopping short and he stood up so quickly that everyone became alarmed.

A tense silence filled the room as he stood there, unsure of what to say. Morty paled, beginning to stutter even a word out of his mouth. "I, I...I'm g, going back t, to my ro,oom...." he whispered and immediately walked away. He felt looks stare at his back and he didn't even want to know what they looked like.

"You're not going to eat dessert?" Summer's confused voice asked across the room.

"I, Im fine!" And with that, he left the room.

He closed the giant doors behind him and stood in the the quiet hallway. He felt sweaty, lightheaded, like he was going to throw up any second. He took a left and began to look for any servants who can lead him to a room.

When one appeared, he asked in the politest way he could and the servant kindly obliged to show him the way. They walked through more of the castle, Morty trying to take in the view so he wouldn't get lost. It really was like the old castle, same hallways with miscellaneous rooms and other hallways that lead to other places. Same stone floors with carpets and lightened chandeliers with various fancy wallpaper. It just lacked homeliness, in his opinion.

They walk down a certain hallway, the view changing from a wall to a beautiful open view of a large garden. It seemed to a personal one for the royal family, extending from the beginning of the entry to the end of the hall. It was huge and downright breathtaking. The sky had turn to night and he could see the stars with clarity unlike back in his old world. The garden was dark, silent, only the sounds of their footsteps played in the background. He noticed there were fireflies flying around the garden, adding that magical touch to the large rose bushes and trees.

Morty stopped for a split second, staring in awe. He quickly resumed his pace when he realized the servant was getting away and ran over to her. He didn't notice the servants smile.

"Here you are, young Prince- oh my, excuse me." The servant turned around to a confused Morty. "I am uncertain whether to call you your Majesty or Prince now. Your coronation was..."

Morty blinked. Was she talking about the birthday party? It was a pre-coronation day but that didn't mean the title changed yet right?

"Please, uh, just call me P, Prince." Morty said and gave a reassuring smile to the servant. She smiled back, looking relieved. "You still have your stuttering habit, I see." Morty blushed as she chuckled. "It's a good thing to see that you're still the same....It's good to have you back, young Prince."

'This woman must of been one of the missing Morty's caretakers or something..' Morty thought. He quickly responded, "Thank you.." With that, the servant bowed. "Goodnight, Young Prince." And walked away.

Morty was left to look at the two large dark doors, unsure of what to do. He might as well try to sleep everything off. Today was just painfully crazy. What surprised him more is how he's not entirely freaked out that a Rick just kidnapped him. It was like he was used to this bullshit everytime he went on an adventure with his Rick.

Morty sighed and pushed the doors open, only to be surprised by what's inside.

The room was huge. It was as big as the second floor of his house without all the walls. The first thing he saw was the overly large arch windows with red drawn back curtains. The night sky was in full view, some lights from the town below sparkling the way it would back in his home world. One of the windows looked like a door; it was currently closed and he realized it led to a balcony. As he tentatively walked in, he looked to his right and saw the massive king size bed, golds and whites filling the color scheme. It had a beautiful frame, with sheets of silk and cotton. The bed took up one half of the room, the other side had more furniture and goodies. It had things Prince Morty "seemed" to have had in his old room: a fancy writing desk, chiffon cushioned couches, a flat screen tv (which he found hilarious due to historical inaccuracy) some game consoles, and a bunch of other random sentimental things put in boxes.

Morty was honestly too tired to even look through it, or even care at all. This entire day has just been one big surprise after another. He should feel scared that he's in this new unknown place, lying to a family who doesn't know that their actual son is still out there, crying for help. Or even worse...dead.

The boy crawled over to the humongous bed and flopped on with a sigh. He sunk into the mattress, a course of shock running through him as he realized how extremely fucking comfortable it was. He felt like he was lying on a dream. Like he napping on a cloud. He never knew a bed could feel so good. It was the most comforting thing he's felt all day. His vision began to dim as his eyelids slowly began to shut-

A knock along with the sound of a turning doorknob made Morty snap out of his sleep. Rick walked into the room, his eyes scanning the room until they laid on Morty. He walked over and kicked the boy's leg.

"Hey, you're not sleeping yet, are you?"

No response.

"Heh, your fly is down."

"W, WHAT?!" Morty shot up, his rosy cheeks now turning into a full blush. He looked down and realized that it was halfway down. He hastily fixed it, embarrassment filling up his head.

Rick chuckled as he watched the scene take place. When Morty was done, he stuck out a plate in his face, surprising him. A chocolate Opera cake with thin lines of other flavors along with a dollop of whip cream and white powder shined brightly, making Morty stare in awe. He'd never seen a cake so professional. He recalled back to dinner when the server announced the desserts were top pastries from around the galaxy.

"You forgot to eat your dessert. Made the whole family worry. The Prince is a huge fan of sweets, so not having one upon arrival is auGH conflicting matter." Rick explained, holding the plate closer to Morty's face. Morty grabbed the plate and looked down before getting the fork. He cut a small piece off, and brought the cake to his mouth.

Suddenly, it was like the room was brighter and an explosion of flavor burst inside his mouth. His eyes grew wide at the taste of rich chocolate and hints of creamy coffee frost. It was the best cake he's ever eaten.

His cheeks grew a blush and he smiled widely. "Mmm! Wow! This is so good!" He exclaimed before shoving another piece into his mouth. "Mmm, sho good! I've never had a cake like this before!"

"Planet Z524918. It's known for the best cakes in the whole finite curve. Most Ricks, Mortys, even aliens come to enjoy the shit they bake there, it's fucking amazing." Rick said, reaching into his coat to get his flask. He stopped midway and slowly put his hand away, the action not noticed by Morty. He mentally decided to not drink tonight, but he knew that it's a lie to himself.

Morty continued to eat his cake happily, gobbling it down within minutes. He felt content with how he just ate today and a rush of energy was surging through him. 

"The Prince loved desserts, huh? We rarely get desserts in my dimension, besides ice cream and other junk food. Cakes are a rarity." Morty sighed, stretching his arms above his head. 

Rick blinked and shrugged. "I don't doubt it. Most dimensions of us prefer ice cream. It's cheaper and more available, unlike what you had now." He nodded to the plate and continued. "In this dimension, however, Prince and I prefer cakes."

"Wow, Marie Antoinette. I'm surprised the revolution hasn't started yet." Morty said and chuckled at Rick's expression. "But, I think you convinced me to start liking cakes now. Probably more than ice cream."

Rick smiled and fake bowed. "I am glad you have reconsidered your choices. Maybe you and your Rick can go have a cake date and share some frosting if you get my jist."

Morty blushed and began to sputter words. "W, wha- huh?

"Nothing." Rick said and began to walk away, hands in his pockets. "Get some sleep Princess. You got a big day ahead of you tomorrow and you should be glad you're getting rest. It'll be hell." And with that, the door shut close and Morty was alone.

Morty sighed and kicked his shoes off, along with taking off his coat, pants, and cape. He was left in the shirt and boxers and it felt nice to be free of all the material. That stuff didn't fit him, or define him at all.

He collapsed back in bed and felt his thoughts go mushy and his eyes grow dim once more. His Rick somehow drifted into his last thought, and there was a slight pang in his chest.

"Rick..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY UPDATE AFTER 5 MONTHS HAHA SORRY YALL
> 
> I've been busy with school and life and been trying to improve writing in general. I hope you enjoy this chapter :D

**Author's Note:**

> my first fanfic for this fandom and on ao3 wow. I hope you guys enjoy :D please let me know if I should continue or not. I've even wanting a royalty au for so long just cause I'm a sucker for that lol


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